Improvement in the manufacture of homogeneous steel



Ass-J JITE sTATES rrron IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HOMOGENECUSSTEEL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,979, dated April21, 1874; application filed I September 3, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OGDEN BOLTON, Jr., of Allegheny City, in the countyof Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the ll/Ianufacture of Homogeneous Steel; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

My invention relates to the manufacture of what is known in the trade ashomogeneous steel, which quality of steel is now commonly used in theconstruction of boilers, tanks, and for like purposes. Heretofore it hascommonly been made by melting paddling-iron, scrapsteel, or scrap-iron,and sometimes pigiron, together under suitable conditions.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, Iwill proceed to describe the same and its manner of use.

For material, I take of pigiron, say, about six thousand pounds for asingle charge, melting the same preferably in an open-hearth furnace,though other suitable means of melting may be employed, and after theiron is melted, which, in a charge of the size named, will require aboutan hour and three-quarters, more or less, I add thereto about onethousand three hundred pounds of iron ore, preferably in a crushedcondition, putting it in in charges, say, of fifty to one hundred poundsevery twenty minutes, until that amount of ore is added, and the moltenmass is well fused and mixed. I then add a quantity, say about onehundred and forty pounds,

of ferro -1nanganese. The action of the ore on the pig-iron is suchas'is well known in. the art, and the resultant mass, when run off intoingots in the usual way, gives the product desired, or a product so nearthereto that by the process described in Letters Patent 140,673, grantedJuly 8, 187 3, to Bolton & Pedder, it may readily be brought to thecondition required. Thus far, in using this process, I have employedIron Mountain ore, believing it to be the best; but other kinds of oreof like properties may be employed, as also manganese ore, and a portionof the ore, say twentyfive per cent, more or less, may be omitted, andan equivalent amount of puddlcd iron, scrap-iron, or scrap-steel may beemployed.

By this process I have found that I can produce an excellent quality ofhomogeneous steel at less expense than by any of the processesheretofore, to my knowledge, in use.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The process of manufacturing homogeneous cast-steel from pig-iron in theopen hearth-by the addition of ore in successive quantities, and thefinal addition of ferro -manganese or spiegeleisen, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I, the said OGDEN BOLTON, J r., have hereunto setmy hand.

OGDEN BOLTON, JR.

Witnesses T. B. KERR, G. H. Onnrs'rv.

